A question to you leather carvers?

Ace Lungger · April 12, 2009, 06:18:40 PM

howdy Pards,
Slowly but shirley I am gaining, best thing was a friend of mine sent me some carving videos, and they are not as good as a instructor. But close! And you do learn when you make a mistake!!
My question: When you guys first started carving, did you stick with the same pattern to you think you got it right, or did you move to a different pattern and worked on it for a while ?
I would be great full for any help or advice!
later
ACE

HorsePen Henry · April 12, 2009, 08:09:59 PM

Ace, as I remember I just did a whole lot of it. I carved everything I could get my hands on. I started in the front of the books and did all the projects from start to finish. Kind of like they were text books. I had a whole sack of holsters when I was a school kid that I had made. Practiced and practiced on several different patterns and didn't do them the same way twice. That's how it was with me in the 1960's. Those how to books by Stohlman were real good books for self teaching. Just read them and did what ol' Al told me to from the books.
Horse Pen

Marshal Will Wingam · April 12, 2009, 08:13:59 PM

I never did the same thing twice but I used the same ideas over and over. Working with similar designs that had common elements gave me practice without getting tired of the same thing over and over. Before I knew it, I was making my own designs based on what I had learned.

cowboywc · April 12, 2009, 09:19:12 PM

Howdy Ace
In my beginners classes my students all carve the first 2 patterns twice. After that just once each.
WC

Marshal Will Wingam · April 12, 2009, 09:28:51 PM

That's a great idea, WC. It's a good way to get them to make faster headway right off. I'm going to remember that.

cowboywc · April 12, 2009, 09:33:03 PM

Howdy MW
It gives them something to compare to.
WC

Marshal Will Wingam · April 12, 2009, 09:39:14 PM

Thanks, WC.

Johnny Dingus · April 12, 2009, 09:56:23 PM

WC, do you have a on line class too? Do you have a structured ciriculum that you go by?

Johnny Dingus

cowboywc · April 13, 2009, 01:46:35 AM

Howdy Johnny
I don't have an online class. I just don't have the time.

Structured? Well very loosely. I always start out the same way but each class is different depending on the students. I don't have anything written down it's just all in my head.
WC

Ace Lungger · April 13, 2009, 07:11:02 AM

Thanks to all!

That was what i was trying to figure out, I like the way WC teaches, My thought was, do a design, do a different design, and another! Some where I would think, a person would realize, hey I wished I would of done that on the first one, and it would of looked a lot better! Then go back and do the first one or what ever one, and do it again using that trick or whatever you learned to see if it did made a better carving, than the first one.

I might never be any good at carving, but so far, it is the most peacefull thing I have ever done in my life!

As you all know by now, I am a very high strung person, and lying idle is killing me!!!!

but once I have cut a pattern out, and start tracing, it's like I am in a differnt world, all my worries, problems, stress, goes away! For every little thing you do to that leather changes how it looks right in front of your eyes!! even if it is bad, you look at it, and try and think of how to make it look better.
I do want to thank every one on here for the help, advice, moral support, tools, scrap leather, books, tapes, and most of all Being my Friend !!
ACE